What Causes Water Damage in Businesses?

Water damage is one of the most common reasons people submit insurance claims, but what causes it in the first place?

Water damage can be a blow to any business. Not only can it be expensive to deal with the damage, it can slow or completely shut down your business operations, causing you to miss out on profits as well. Whether you end up losing records, having to replace equipment or even just taking additional time out of your day to manage the situation, water damage can be costly and frustrating. Here at Classic Commercial Services, we offer water damage restoration in the Miami area so that you can get back to business quickly, but we also want to help you prevent damage as much as possible. Although not all water damage can be prevented, knowing about the most common causes of water damage could help you avoid it in some cases. Here are some of the most common causes of water damage in commercial buildings:

#1. Malfunctioning Sprinkler System

If your commercial building is older, then there’s a chance that the sprinkler system you have is outdated. Having a working sprinkler system in your building is essential for the protection and safety of your building, documents, employees and customers, but if your system is broken, outdated or it simply malfunctions, it could discharge water, even when there is no fire present. Water damage is the inevitable result of having a malfunctioning sprinkler system, and if it’s not caught right away, it could cause extensive damage throughout your building. Luckily, this is largely avoidable by ensuring that your sprinkler system is tested, inspected and maintained on a regular basis — which is also important for preventing fire damage in your building.

#2. Plumbing Problems

The plumbing system in your commercial building has to put up with a lot. With so many different people filtering in and out of the bathrooms all day, it’s absolutely essential that commercial businesses keep up on plumbing maintenance and repairs. Not only can plumbing problems, like broken pipes and sewer backups, cause severe water damage in your building, but if your plumbing system is out of commission, that can create real problems for your employees and customers. It’s always smart to get your commercial plumbing system inspected and maintained by a professional regularly.

#3. Broken Appliances or Equipment

Just as the appliances in our homes can become damaged, outdated or broken, so can the appliances in commercial buildings. And some appliances, like washing machines, dishwashers and toilets, can cause a lot of water damage when they break. The real problem is that, in some cases, these appliances break when no one is in the building to take care of the damage right away, and that can lead to the creation of a huge, expensive mess. Keeping up with maintenance and repairs on any appliances that use water in your commercial building could help you get more years out of them, avoid unnecessary repairs and, best of all, reduce the risk of pricey water damage.

#4. Roof Leaks

If your commercial building is like most, there’s a good chance that you have a flat roof. Flat roofs are ideal for commercial buildings, but they do require more maintenance and attention in order to prevent leaks. Since water can’t flow off of your roof via the slope, it can end up just sitting on, and soaking into, your roof. If there are any places on your roof where the roofing materials are damaged, missing or deteriorated, it can lead to roof leaks, which can damage the walls, ceiling and floor of your building. However, roof leaks can be avoided by properly maintaining your roof and getting repairs done promptly.

#5. Floods

Floods are one of the worst causes of water damage because there’s nothing you can do to prevent a flood. However, you can ensure that your commercial building is equipped to handle a flood, and that you are properly insured.

No business owner wants to have to deal with water damage, and luckily, there are things you can do to prevent many of the most common causes of water damage. But for all of those times when it can’t be prevented, turn to Classic Commercial services for professional water damage restoration. We are proud to serve Miami and all of south Florida. Contact us today!

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Each Classic Commercial Services location is an independently owned and operated franchise. The franchiser and its affiliates do not control or manage the day-to-day business operations of any of the Classic Commercial Services franchised locations.